Vaalgras Traditional Authority defies Minister’s order
DISGRUNTLED NATIVE WATCHDOG WRITES:
I think it’s high time that the broad community of Vaalgras should stand up and exercise their constitutional fundamental basic human rights.
It’s now the fourth (4) consecutive year that the tribe has been without a Chief. The sitting traditional councillors are enjoying the status quo because they believe they are in charge and they derive benefits that go with the positions.
On the 18th December 2024, the former Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Hon. Erastus Utoni, summoned them to his office to clarify what was happening or the obstacles in electing a Chief.
The sitting traditional councillors were told in no uncertain terms that they are just facilitators of the process in the finalisation of the chieftain race amicably, but they’re rather just doing nothing to finalise the exercise. They were ordered to go talk and submit the name of one candidate for recognition. There was a meeting scheduled for 26th April 2025, again on 24th May 2025 and lastly for 21st June 2025 of which none have materialised for reasons best known to the sitting councillors.
They are employing every dirty trick and simple excuse to postpone the community meetings in order to extend their term of office and to cling to power. Meanwhile, they are pretending as if it’s the two warring opponents from the two Stephanus’ side, who don’t want to enter into peace talks.
Therefore, in my personal opinion, it’s incumbent upon the broad community to convene their own community meeting to impeach these surviving traditional councillors from office. They have the full powers to do so per Judge Collins Parker’s judgement in the same Vaalgras case of 2012. The worrying factor is socio-economic development opportunities are coming and going, and we are missing out. How do we benefit from the unfolding golden opportunities, such as those of the Genocide, etc?.
There’s even a power struggle among the sitting traditional councillors of Vaalgras. This means that the remaining seven (7) traditional councillors don’t constitute a quorum to take legitimate decisions. Meaning that all the decisions taken by 2 - 3 councillors aren’t binding at all and make the meetings illegal. The time has come for the traditional community to exercise its powers to remove those councillors in order to start afresh on a new sheet.
Hon. James Sankwasa, I don’t understand why you are cynical to intervene in these chieftain impasses in the South, even if you have to give the traditional authorities an ultimatum to resolve their differences. Alternatively, the Hon. Ministers must come up with drastic and draconian reforms and amendments to shape these suffering communities.
The plight of the masses and the electorate should not be taken lightly or as a joke, especially during this year of our own regional and local authority elections. This is very serious and could have far-reaching legal repercussions and damages.
* Rubrieke, meningstukke, briewe en SMS’e deur lesers en meningvormers weerspieël nie noodwendig die siening van Republikein of Network Media Hub (NMH) nie. As mediahuis onderskryf NMH die etiese kode vir Namibiese media, soos toegepas deur die Media-ombudsman.
I think it’s high time that the broad community of Vaalgras should stand up and exercise their constitutional fundamental basic human rights.
It’s now the fourth (4) consecutive year that the tribe has been without a Chief. The sitting traditional councillors are enjoying the status quo because they believe they are in charge and they derive benefits that go with the positions.
On the 18th December 2024, the former Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Hon. Erastus Utoni, summoned them to his office to clarify what was happening or the obstacles in electing a Chief.
The sitting traditional councillors were told in no uncertain terms that they are just facilitators of the process in the finalisation of the chieftain race amicably, but they’re rather just doing nothing to finalise the exercise. They were ordered to go talk and submit the name of one candidate for recognition. There was a meeting scheduled for 26th April 2025, again on 24th May 2025 and lastly for 21st June 2025 of which none have materialised for reasons best known to the sitting councillors.
They are employing every dirty trick and simple excuse to postpone the community meetings in order to extend their term of office and to cling to power. Meanwhile, they are pretending as if it’s the two warring opponents from the two Stephanus’ side, who don’t want to enter into peace talks.
Therefore, in my personal opinion, it’s incumbent upon the broad community to convene their own community meeting to impeach these surviving traditional councillors from office. They have the full powers to do so per Judge Collins Parker’s judgement in the same Vaalgras case of 2012. The worrying factor is socio-economic development opportunities are coming and going, and we are missing out. How do we benefit from the unfolding golden opportunities, such as those of the Genocide, etc?.
There’s even a power struggle among the sitting traditional councillors of Vaalgras. This means that the remaining seven (7) traditional councillors don’t constitute a quorum to take legitimate decisions. Meaning that all the decisions taken by 2 - 3 councillors aren’t binding at all and make the meetings illegal. The time has come for the traditional community to exercise its powers to remove those councillors in order to start afresh on a new sheet.
Hon. James Sankwasa, I don’t understand why you are cynical to intervene in these chieftain impasses in the South, even if you have to give the traditional authorities an ultimatum to resolve their differences. Alternatively, the Hon. Ministers must come up with drastic and draconian reforms and amendments to shape these suffering communities.
The plight of the masses and the electorate should not be taken lightly or as a joke, especially during this year of our own regional and local authority elections. This is very serious and could have far-reaching legal repercussions and damages.
* Rubrieke, meningstukke, briewe en SMS’e deur lesers en meningvormers weerspieël nie noodwendig die siening van Republikein of Network Media Hub (NMH) nie. As mediahuis onderskryf NMH die etiese kode vir Namibiese media, soos toegepas deur die Media-ombudsman.
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